FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL October 27, 2021
Dear Families,
At Montgomery School, we continually seek to maintain a safe environment for employees, students, families, and the community. To support those goals, we have partnered with Concentric by Ginkgo to implement an optional and free pooled COVID-19 testing program. This program allows us to add an additional level of assurance and protection for our community.
The more families who participate in this program, the more effective we can be in safeguarding the wellbeing of our entire school community. Beyond weekly testing, this program will help us make better decisions and will be extremely beneficial during times of high transmission, such as the holiday season. Details are as follows:
What is pooled testing? Pooling can test 25 people using one test. All students in a class or cohort swab their own noses and place their swabs in a single tube (that’s the pooling step). The samples in that tube are then run as a single sample, using one test. See it in action here.
Who will be tested? We plan to begin with a strong initial group of individuals on Monday, November 1st.
Can my child be included in the initial group? Yes! All families are invited to participate as early as possible. There will be opportunities to join later as well. You must complete a consent form for your child to participate. See the instructions below. Since we test on the first day of the week, we will test anyone who has submitted consent by the end of the day on the Friday prior.
When will testing take place? The test is performed weekly and results are delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
What happens if there is a positive case in my child’s pool? In the event a positive case is detected, we will use a rapid antigen test to provide “quick tests'' for each participant in the positive pool. Any person who tests positive will be contacted by our School Nurse for next steps.
Please take a moment to read additional information below from Concentric for more details.
Thank you in advance for your partnership as we continue to work together to keep our community safe and healthy.
With warm regards,
Tom McManus Head of School CONSENT FORM To get started, please fill out the consent form with your permission to perform a COVID-19 pooled test for your student. This process should take no more than 5 minutes to complete using a computer or a smartphone.
This is a new consent form and must be completed by all participants. The previous CHOP BinaxNOW Ag COVID-19 Rapid Test consent form that we shared in August does not pertain to this program.
First, click here Then, enter this access code: [MSTEST] Finally, enter your child’s information, and you’re done!
Note: If you need to provide consent for more than one child, please complete the process once for each child. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Why pooled testing? Why should my student participate? You know the old saying: “knowledge is power.” Tools like pooled testing empower us to make great decisions. Without knowing the specific prevalence of COVID-19 in our school, it’s tough for us to make informed decisions about safeguarding our school community.
Only students with completed consent forms are able to participate in testing. If you do not want your family to participate, your student will not be included in the testing program. Though, we hope you do!
To learn more about pooled testing, read the overview of Concentric’s pooled testing program and watch this video from another school using this service.
For more information, visit Concentric by Ginkgo’s website. |